|  | 2.3 | Switching and VLANs
| 2.3.4 | Microsegmentation
The increasing power of desktop processors and the requirements of client/server and multimedia applications have created an increased need for greater bandwidth in traditional shared-media environments. These requirements are prompting network designers to replace hubs in wiring closets with switches. Layer 2 switches use microsegmentation to satisfy the demands for more bandwidth and increased performance, but network designers are now faced with increasing demands for intersubnet communication. For example, every time a user accesses servers and other resources that are located on different subnets, the traffic must go through a Layer 3 device. Potentially, there is a tremendous bottleneck, which can threaten network performance. To avoid this bottleneck, network designers can add Layer 3 capabilities throughout the network, which alleviates the burden on centralized routers. Therefore, a switch improves bandwidth by separating collision domains and selectively forwarding traffic to the appropriate segments of a network.